Military archbishop welcomes religious freedom coalition

ADELAIDE MENA

Military archbishop welcomes religious freedom coalition :: Catholic News Agency (CNA) Editors Service About us Donate Spanish Portuguese Follow us: Loading News Headlines Vatican Americas Asia - Pacific US Europe Middle East - Africa Most Read Most Commented Archive Mandate Resources Abortion Advent Apologetics Benedict XVI Bible Cardinals Catechism Catholic Links Catholic Womanhood Church Fathers Holy Week Life & Family Liturgical Calendar Liturgy Mary Politics Pope Francis Prayers Sacraments Saints Virtue Tools Catholic Podcast RSS Feeds CNA TV CNA Audio Columns A Life Worth Living Answering the Tough Questions Bishops' Corner Book Reviews Both Oars In Catholic & Single Catholic Men Fr. Robert Barron Guest Columnist Harvesting the Fruit of Vatican II In Good Company Indispensable Economics Inside the Church during WWII Led Into the Truth Movie Reviews Preparing the way for the Roman Missal – 3rd Edition Russell Shaw The New (& the Old) Evangelization The Spirit of the New Translation The Way of Beauty With Good Reason Your Moment in the Mass Documents Pope Benedict XVI Pope John Paul II Pope Paul VI Pope John XXIII Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XI Pope Pius X Pope Leo XIII Vatican II Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith Pontifical Council for the Family United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Cardinal James Francis Stafford Archbishop Charles J. Chaput Bishop Samuel J. Aquila Catholic Womanhood CNA Blog Home » News » US Military archbishop welcomes religious freedom coalition By Adelaide Mena American flag. Washington D.C., Jul 16, 2013 / 05:02 pm ( CNA/EWTN News ) .-
Archbishop Timothy Broglio has welcomed a coalition for religious freedom in the U.S. military as legislation aiming to protect religious belief and action among service members advances in Congress. “The Archdiocese looks forward to working closely as an ally as all seek to ensure the continued protection of the 1st Amendment Rights of Free Speech and the Free Exercise of Religion of the men and women of the United States Military,” the Archbishop of the Military Services said in a July 11 statement. “No one who raises a right hand to defend the Constitution should sacrifice one of its fundamental principles.” The Archdiocese of Military Services oversees the spiritual support of Catholic chaplains and laymen serving in the armed services or stationed abroad on diplomatic missions. On July 9, the Family Research Council announced the formation of a coalition that will advocate for religious freedom in the military and push for support of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act protecting religious action and speech. The amendment was introduced by Congressman John Fleming (R- La.) on July 8. The legislation states that ‘‘except in cases of military necessity, the Armed Forces shall accommodate the beliefs, actions, and speech” of service members, rather than accommodating merely their religious beliefs. The legislation would also require the Secretary of Defense to consult with religious organizations that oversee military chaplaincies. Both the amendment and the National Defense Authorization Act as a whole passed the House Armed Services Committee and the House of Representatives. A similar amendment, introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R- Utah), has passed the Senate Armed Services Committee. On July 11, the Obama administration stated it is “strongly opposed” to the religious freedom amendment, saying that “this provision would have a significant adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment,” by limiting commanders’ ability “to address potentially problematic speech and actions within their units.” The bill follows allegations in raised in April that an internal Army presentation labeled a number of religious groups as “extremist,” including Catholics, Mormons and evangelicals alongside terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda. Tags: Religious liberty , U.S. Military , Archbishop Broglio Ads by AdsLiveMedia.com
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